Clark earns Co-Player of the Week in the AAC

Senior forward Gary Clark earned AAC Player of the Week for the second time this season. This time he had to share it with SMU guard Shake Milton. Clark had two monster games last week averaging a double double.

Mr. Clark is a Problem for everybody in the NCAA #BearcatNation is glad they have such a positive problem.

The Bearcats are now ranked No. 9 in the AP Poll and No. 8 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.

University of Cincinnati men’s basketball senior forward Gary Clark (Clayton, N.C./Clayton HS) has been named The American Athletic Conference Co-Player of the Week along with SMU guard Shake Milton the league announced Monday.

Clark posted back-to-back double-doubles, averaging 15.5 points and 14.5 rebounds while shooting 48.3 percent (14 of 29) from the floor in a 2-0 week for the Bearcats.

Clark scored a game-high 17 points and pulled down a season-best 15 rebounds with two steals in 35 minutes during Cincinnati’s 49-38 win at UCF on Jan. 16. He tallied 14 points and grabbed 14 rebounds with two blocks and two steals in 26 minutes during UC’s 86-60 home victory over ECU on Jan. 20.

Averaging a double-double (13.7 points with 10.2 rebounds) through six conference games this season, Clark has recorded three consecutive double-doubles and four total since the start of league play against Memphis (Dec. 31).

Now with 25 in his career, Clark is the double-doubles leader at UC during the Mick Cronin coaching era (since 2006-07) and the current double-doubles leader among all active players in The American.

Clark ranks third in the nation with 992 career rebounds, needing eight more to become only the fifth player in UC history to record at least 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds for his career. Clark currently ranks fifth in career rebounds (992) and 29th in career points (1,242) at UC.

A preseason nominee for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award and the Lute Olson Player of the Year Award, Clark is averaging 12.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks with seven double-doubles this season for the Bearcats.

Entering Cincinnati’s home game against Temple on Wednesday (9 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network and 700 WLW), Clark ranks among the AAC leaders in nine categories: rebounds (first at 9.1), double-doubles (first with seven), offensive rebounds (tied for first at 3.4), defensive rebounds (second at 5.7), blocks (seventh at 1.3), steals (eighth at 1.5), field goal percentage (11th at .59), free throw percentage (11th at .811) and points (16th at 12.8).

Clark was named to The American’s Player of the Week on Nov. 27, 2017, after earning the most valuable player award in the Cayman Islands Classic where he averaged 16.3 points and 9.3 rebounds while shooting 53.3 percent (16 of 30) from the floor and 87.5 percent (14 of 16) from the free throw line in three Bearcats’ wins. He was tabbed to the league’s weekly honor roll on Dec. 18, 2017, averaging 9.5 points and 12.0 rebounds in UC victories over Mississippi State and at UCLA.

Managing Editor of Bearcat Insider, I've been on the BCI team the last couple of years. I made the final four in the Biggest Big East Fan contest in 2011, I covered UC also on Cincy on the Prowl. I'm just a lefty trying to get buckets in this game called life Van Exel style.